Dr. Kevin Anderson went to be with the Lord on January 16, 2022. He served the people of the Lord’s Kingdom with a lifetime of good scientific research.

He earned a Ph.D. in Microbiology from Kansas State University, which qualified him for a career in research and teaching in various state universities. For years, he did double duty, spending spare time on projects that supported creation.¹ He eventually transitioned to full-time creation research. His last post was as Director of the Creation Research Society’s (CRS) Van Andel Research Center. Dr. Anderson and his family oversaw the recent move to its new location on the campus of Arizona Christian University in Phoenix, where he also taught undergraduate courses, including microbiology.

His passing was unexpected, and he will be dearly missed by his wife Diane and their children. Diane faithfully partnered with Kevin in service with CRS.

Dr. Anderson pioneered the Society’s dinosaur-fossil protein research effort named iDino.¹ While he was Editor of the Creation Research Society Quarterly, this effort produced a special issue of that journal (51:4) that surveyed the literature on, presented new evidence for, and answered objections to the presence of protein remnants in dinosaur bone fossils. This research also bore fruit in his book and in an award-winning video, both titled Echoes of the Jurassic. The documentary famously includes video footage of flexible connective tissue in a dinosaur vertebra.

Creation Research Society collaborated with ICR on the monumental Radioisotopes and the Age of The Earth (RATE) project results, which were published in two volumes in 2000 and 2005.² In the same spirit, Dr. Kevin partnered with ICR on a project to measure the decay rate of bone collagen. Our preliminary results suggest that collagen decays orders of magnitude too quickly to have remained intact underground over deep time.^3,4 This evidence fits the Bible’s portrayal of a world that God created thousands, not millions, of years ago.

Why would such a brilliant man devote his energies to these kinds of projects? In short, he cared that Christians know and understand how strongly science supports the Bible. He enjoyed opportunities to share this kind of encouragement with churches where he exhorted listeners to trust the Word of God and the God of the Word.

Dr. Anderson’s passing leaves a gaping hole in creation research. We pray the God will raise up another generation of dedicated and Christ-focused scientists to follow in his footsteps. The ICR science staff loved and deeply appreciated Kevin. We will all miss seeing his joyful smile and words of encouragement and wisdom.

References
1. “Investigation of Dinosaur Intact Natural Osteo-tissue”
2. See ICR.org/rate
3. Thomas, B. 2019. Collagen Decays Too Fast for Evolutionary Time. Acts & Facts. 48 (8).
4. Anderson, K. Are Dinosaur Proteins Virtually Immortal? Answers in Depth. Posted on Answersingenesis.org December 15, 2017, accessed January 19, 2022.

Image: Dr. Thomas (left) and Dr. Anderson (right)

*Dr. Thomas is Research Scientist at the Institute for Creation Research and earned his Ph.D. in paleobiochemistry from the University of Liverpool